Card Grading Has LOST ITS MIND
A content creator discusses the current state of card grading, defending its necessity despite criticism from some hobbyists. He analyzes BGS's new submission management strategy, critiques their website infrastructure, and reviews several high-value cards currently listed on PSA's eBay store.
Summary
The video begins with commentary on the card grading industry's current challenges and demand. BGS recently closed its website for five to six days and announced a new first-come, first-serve submission strategy with capacity limits of 120-150,000 cards before pausing certain service tiers. The creator advocates for BGS to improve their order tracking system to match PSA's seamless website experience, noting that PSA provides better transparency throughout the grading process. Despite infrastructure challenges, demand for grading services from BGS, CGC, PSA, TAG, and SGC remains at all-time highs. The creator pushes back against content creators who advocate against using grading services, arguing that third-party grading and authentication are essential to the modern trading card market and provide legitimate value through expert opinions on authenticity and condition. He emphasizes that the hobby's current market confidence would not exist without grading companies and that counterfeits, fakes, and trim cards are real threats that justify professional authentication. The creator acknowledges frustrations about pricing and turnaround times are valid but notes that grading companies are expanding infrastructure and hiring to meet demand. He observes that millions of cards are waiting for lower-priced grading tiers like PSA's new $59.99 standard level. The second half of the video reviews notable cards from the PSA eBay store, including a 2022 Kaboom Lamar Jackson gold refractor (BGS 9) starting at $8,888.88, a 2018 Topps Diamond Kings Shohei Ohtani rookie (SGC 10), an 1989 Fleer Michael Jordan (PSA 10) currently bid at $3,600, a 2017 Topps Chrome Lionel Messi green refractor (PSA 10) at $9,500, a 1968 Topps Manuel card with an NBA Gold Diamond sticker (PSA 8), and a 2025 Topps Chrome Skylight Wembanyama rookie signature (PSA 10) at $7,200.
About this episode
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Key Insights
- BGS implemented a first-come, first-serve submission model with a target capacity of 120-150,000 cards before pausing lower-tier grading services, rather than continuously accepting submissions
- The creator argues that the modern trading card market's current confidence and valuation would not exist without third-party grading and authentication services, contrary to some hobbyists' advocacy for avoiding graders
- Third-party grading represents an expert opinion on authenticity and condition that the hobby respects, and is not merely plastic but a significant authentication service addressing counterfeits, fakes, and trim cards
- Millions of cards are currently waiting to be graded, particularly at lower-priced tiers like PSA's new $59.99 standard level, which represents untapped demand that grading companies struggle to process
- The 1989 Fleer Michael Jordan has appreciated significantly from $800-1,000 in PSA 10 condition to approximately $4,000 in recent months, driven by limited early Jordan card availability compared to newer sets with numerous variations
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] AL card grading has lost its ever loving mind. >> Sir, do you realize that you are not drinking regular coffee, but Colombian decaffeinated coffee crystals? >> What I said? You're drinking Colombian decaf coffee crystals? You son of a >> popular grading company BGS's website was closed down for five or six days. People were starting to wonder, is everything okay over there at Beckett Grading? Well, we did get an announcement from the GM Colin on the Twitter machine. He said that lower level tiers are open at Beckett, but [0:31] probably not for long. Over 64,000 cards were submitted in the first two days and likely will need to pause once we get to 120 to…
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